


Fooling Around

by burymeinziam



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe, Coming of Age, M/M, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-11
Updated: 2013-01-11
Packaged: 2017-11-25 01:55:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/633848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/burymeinziam/pseuds/burymeinziam
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>while Louis makes him feel uneasy in the realest sense of the word Harry also feels excited and free. There’s a first time for everything – sneaking out, drinking – and Harry is experiencing it all in one night. He doesn’t want to ruin that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fooling Around

Harry despised dinner with the Tomlinsons.

Mr. and Mrs. Tomlinson were generally nice people. Over the past few years they had become increasingly good friends with Harry’s parents. They had similar interests (Harry’s dad and Mr. Tomlinson both loved golf) and they all attended the same church every Sunday. Mr. and Mrs. Tomlinson attended all of their son’s football games and Harry’s parents never missed a school play.

As they days grew on, it seemed to Harry as if his mother and Mrs. Tomlinson did everything together. Their groups of friends seemed to merge together and before he knew it they were signing up for weekly yoga classes and making appointments at the spa every now and again in an effort to “treat themselves”. His father and Mr. Tomlinson could laugh and joke into the wee hours of the morning and, every few weeks, they would set up poker nights with a few of their co-workers after which his father would stumble into the house, drunk off his ass, at four thirty in the morning.  

Since the heads of the Tomlinson and Styles families were so close, most would assume the same about their sons. One would only assume that the Styles and Tomlinson boys would be damn near inseparable, but Harry had never really been close with Louis or his younger brother. They’d tried, not very hard, but an attempt was made. When their parents had first started getting close Louis, his younger brother, Jack, and Harry would sit up in Louis’ room and talk, but nothing ever really came of it. Once it was clear that a real friendship was pretty much out of the question the Tomlinson brother’s retreated to one another, leaving Harry to fend for himself at every occasion they were forced to attend.

Louis and Jack were secretive. It was as if there was always some sort of an ongoing joke between the two of them. Louis had a tendency to wear this smirk whenever Harry made an appearance and it never failed to set Harry’s nerves on fire, causing him to believe that this ongoing joke was about him. It didn’t help that he was a good three and half years younger than Louis and Jack had a solid eight months on him. Harry would think he and Jack would have more in common considering they were closer in age, but he and Louis were always sneaking off when Harry and his parents would come visit and he wouldn’t see them again until it was just about time for him to leave. All of it made him feel so young and inferior and completely out of the loop.

If he were to be unabashedly honest, Harry hated it. He hated being stuck in a house he didn’t want to be in, left alone in a room he didn’t know just so he could wait on a pair of brothers he didn’t care to be around. Harry would never admit to it but it hurt. He liked to sit around pretending to be bitter, speaking to the Tomlinson brothers in short clipped sentences that didn’t mean much of anything when you broke them down, but he was hurt. Harry hated that they’d rather leave him alone in their house rather than making an effort to know him at all.

For the second time that November, Harry found himself seated at the Tomlinson’s dinner table listening to his parents laugh and joke about things Harry didn’t care enough to understand. He pushed his food around his plate, hating himself as he watched the Tomlinson brothers interact with the son of a mutual friend of their parents’. It was rare that there were three families gathered in the Tomlinson home for dinner, but tonight the Mitchells decided to make an appearance.

During the meal, Harry came to the conclusion that Jack and the only child in the Mitchell family, River, were exceptionally close.  He could hear them laughing at jokes only the pair of them could understand and sharing secrets that nobody else would ever get the pleasure of knowing. It kind of made Harry’s blood boil because he never got that chance. He’d tried making friends with Jack, he’d probably made an ass of himself in the process too, but it never happened. Harry was cast aside like an old toy that no longer worked and that was that. And then, enter River Mitchell, and he and Jack are partners in crime.

It was bullshit. Complete and total bullshit

Dinner was eaten quickly, as it always is with teenaged boys. All four of them finish before the adults and quietly excuse themselves from the table, River and Jack quickly retreating to the latter’s bedroom upstairs. Louis watches them, his eyes narrowed as the door to Jack’s bedroom is shut with a quiet, barely audible click.

Harry is just about to ask if something is wrong when Mrs. Mitchell turns in her eat and asks about which high school he plans on attending. Harry smiles and politely answers her questions and all the ones that follow before she smiles and wishes him good luck before returning her attention to Harry’s mother and saying something about him being a “marvelous young man”

“Could they be any more dull?” Louis scoffs, folding his arms over his chest as he eyes the adults at the table. His eyes are trained on Harry, waiting for a response, and Harry has a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach that, on the inside, Louis is laughing at him. For what reason, Harry isn’t sure but he can feel it in his gut.

He isn’t sure of what to say because he’s never really talked to Louis. Even when they used to hang out, Harry would gravitate toward Jack and Louis would sort of sit off to the side reading a magazine or playing games on his phone. They’d never actually held a proper conversation.

“Uh…” Harry starts, avoiding Louis’ eyes. “I guess not.”

Louis laughs lightly at Harry’s nerves as nods toward his room upstairs. “Wanna come with me?”

It’s not really an offer Harry would want to refuse so he nods his head and follows Louis up the stairs to his bedroom. They pass by Jack’s room and Harry can hear the faint sounds of them talking on the other side of the door. He chances a glance toward Louis’, but if the older boy notices the voices as well he doesn’t show it. 

Louis’ bedroom is different from Jack’s which sort of reminded Harry of his own bedroom. Louis’ bed is much bigger than his younger brother’s and instead of a small television sat on top of a dresser, he has a flat screen mounted on the wall. There’s a laptop situated on top of his bed and a few posters tacked on to the walls. One is of a tall brunette woman posing on the beach in a small red bikini.

Louis laughs when he catches Harry staring at the poster with wide eyes. “See anything you like there, kid?” He asks, amused.

Harry’s eyes dart toward Louis as his cheeks flush a deep shade of pink. “Oh uh… I was just—”

“Relax, man,” Louis says when he sees how flustered Harry had become. He flops down onto his bed pushing his lap top up toward the pillows as he settles his back against the wall underneath the poster. “I was just joking with you. No need to get your panties in a bunch.”

The blush never leaves Harry’s cheeks as he looks down at his shoes.

The room is silent for a few moments until Louis’ cell phone buzzes with a new text message. Harry peeks through his eyelashes and watches as Louis reads over the message and types back a response.

“Hey,” He says from across the room, addressing Harry as he scoots off of his bed and toes on a pair of shoes.

Harry straightens his posture and lifts his head so he’s looking at Louis properly. “Huh?”

“I’m going to meet up with some friends in a few minutes…” Louis trails off as he sifts through his closet in search of a jacket to wear. Harry’s face falls because he realizes that Louis is going to be leaving for the night and he’s probably going to be left to his own devices. Harry is going to have to sit in this room – or maybe find another if Louis doesn’t want to leave him alone in his bedroom – and find something to do until his parents finish their night of fun downstairs.

“That’s cool,” Harry mumbles, kicking at invisible specs of dust on the carpet with the toe of his shoe. “Sounds like fun. I hope you have a good time.”

Louis pauses his search of the closet to cast a backward glance toward Harry. “I was going to ask if you wanted to come,” he says, his tone suggesting that this was supposed to be an obvious fact.

“Oh,” Harry replies, furrowing his brow. He doesn’t understand why Louis is inviting him or what had changed in the few hours separating the time at which he arrived at Louis’ house and this very moment, but he doesn’t really want to question it either. “Do you parents—”

“No,” Louis says, chuckling, as he settles on a black leather jacket. “They kind of don’t. That’s why it’s called sneaking out.”

“I don’t—” Harry pauses, draws in a breath, and exhales before starting over. “I’ve never snuck out before.” He shrugs his shoulders and looks down at his shoes as an embarrassing blush covers his cheeks. “I’ve never really done much of anything before.”

Louis steps toward Harry and places a hand on his shoulder causing the younger boy to look up at him. His smile is kind and understanding and so unlike the smirk Harry had grown so used to seeing on Louis’ face. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” he says. “I just thought you might want to get out and have some fun.”

Harry nods. “Okay.”

Louis grins and removes his hand from Harry’s shoulder. “Great. Let’s get going then. I think they’re waiting.” He starts toward his bedroom window, but pauses half way to look back at Harry. “You want a jumper? It’s kind of cold out.”

Harry thinks about his own jacket downstairs and realizes that it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to go down and grab it. His parents would ask questions he didn’t know how to answer and everything would be ruined. “Um, yeah. Sure. Thanks.”

Louis crosses the room and grabs a plain, blue jacket and hands it over to Harry who mumbles another quick ‘thank you’ before slipping it over his shoulders.

“Ready to go?” Louis asks.

“Yeah; I think so,” Harry mumbles as he looks down at the ground as Louis opens his bedroom window and climbs outside and down a conveniently placed tree. Harry peers out the window and watches Louis’ swift, practiced movements as he hops down and out of the tree before looking both ways and motioning for Harry to follow.

Harry is nervous at first, but he doesn’t want to look like a baby in front of Louis so he draws in a deep breath before climbing out of the window and doing his best to mimic Louis’ movements. He isn’t nearly as graceful, but he makes it to the ground unscathed to which Louis grins before starting down the street away from his house.

“So where are we going?” Harry asks as he and Louis turn the corner at the end of the street.

“Just down to the park, I guess. It’s only a few streets away,” Louis answers, pulling his hood over his head.

Harry can feel his heart racing; it’s thumping wildly in his chest almost to the point where he feels like it could burst. He’s never snuck out of the house before and it’s exhilarating knowing that his parents have no idea that he’s outside wandering the streets with an older boy who has poster of a half-naked woman on his wall. If only they knew; Harry would get the talking to of a lifetime and he’d probably be grounded until he graduated high school.

“You sure know how to smile, kid,” Louis comments.

Harry’s face grows hot as he looks down at his shoes, but his smile only grows wider. “I guess I’m just excited,” he mumbles, shoving his hands into the pockets of his borrowed hoodie.

Louis nods, his lips twitching up into a smile of his own. “I remember that feeling.”

Harry is about to say something else when he notices the bright lights beaming over a large field of grass. The park isn’t really what he’d expected. Harry had anticipated a play structure and swings, maybe even a sandbox. What he sees ahead of him is a giant field of grass with trees scattered here and there.

He doesn’t complain though because it’s dark out and he’s wandering around town with Louis Tomlinson. It’s the most excitement he’s experienced his whole life and he isn’t going to let an empty field ruin his night.

“Where are you friends?” Harry asks as he surveys the area. As far as he can see, it’s only him and Louis.

Louis shrugs as he looks around as well. “I don’t know… they said to meet them here in fifteen…” He shoves his hands into his pockets. “Maybe they got held up or something.”

But then someone is shouting “Lou!”  and Louis head whips around to the right as a smile forms on his lips and he waves before grabbing Harry’s hand and pulling him towards a small group of teenagers gathered around a picnic table.

“We thought you guys were running late or something,” Louis says once the reach the table.

Harry’s heart is racing as he takes in the faces of Louis friend. He’s nervous and excited and he isn’t really sure of what he should be doing but Louis is still gripping his hand so he feels relatively safe.

“Nahh… we’ve been here for a while, actually,” a guy with dark brown hair says. Harry notices a shock of blond running through the front of his hair as their eyes meet. “Who’s your friend?”

Louis furrows his brow, but then his grip of Harry’s hand tightens as if he were reminding himself that he’d brought a friend. “Oh,” he says. “This is Harry.” He lets go of Harry’s hand to introduce the rest of the guys. He points to the guy with the blond in his hair first. “This is Zayn and his boyfriend Liam.” Louis then gestures to a blond sitting on the edge of the table. “and that’s Niall.”

The guys all wave a hello to Harry to which Harry shyly waves back. He feels like he wants to step behind Louis (even though they are nearly the same height despite their age difference) and hide for a while because hanging around all these older kids is making him nervous. This isn’t him; this isn’t what he does. Harry was stupid to think sneaking out would be a good idea because Harry is only some dumb fourteen-year-old kid; who is he to sneak out at night with a few seventeen-year-olds?

“We were thinking of going down to the shops. You guys wanna come?” The blond, Niall, asks. Judging by the way Niall is eyeing Harry, he assumes they are asking him more so than Louis. He figures they want to know if he’s willing to hang out with them; to do what they do – whatever that may be.

“Um…” Harry chews on his bottom lip as he looks to Louis for an answer. He doesn’t know what to say. Does Louis even want to go to the shops? And if he does want to go does he really want Harry tagging along?

“Sure. We’ll come along, but we can’t stay for too long,” Louis answers, placing a hand on Harry’s shoulder. Harry tenses at first, and then relaxes into the touch. When he turns to look at Louis, Harry finds him looking back at him wearing a reassuring smile. He gives Harry’s shoulder a quick squeeze before dropping his hand back to his side and returning his attention to the group.

“Well, you guys?” He asks. “What are we waiting for: a written invitation? Let’s get this show on the road.”

+

“So, Harry,” Liam starts. They’re all walking in the middle of the street engaging in small, stilted conversations that don’t really go anywhere. “I’ve never seen you around school before? Are you new or something?”

Harry looks to the ground a kicks at a pebble as they continue down the road. “Oh uh… no,” he says quietly.

Louis snorts at the answer as he throws his arm around Harry’s shoulders. “Harry here doesn’t start school with us until the fall.”

Harry’s cheeks grow hot at the revelation. He chances a glance up at the rest of the guys and sees them looking at him carefully. “Hm…” Zayn says. “Figures. I thought he looked a little, young. How old are you anyways?”

Harry clears his throat. “Fourteen…”

They all nod and the group grows silent for a moment before Liam starts rambling about a memory he has from when he was Harry’s age and then they’re all laughing and joking about past experiences. The only ones not really adding much to the conversation are Harry and Louis, but Harry doesn’t really mind listening. He’s perfectly content to do so, actually. He can’t help but to hope that he finds a group of friends similar to these once he starts school in the fall. He figures it must be nice to find a place to fit in.

There’s a 7-11 a few streets down from the park. When they reach the convenience store there are still a few cars in the lot and a few guys sitting on skateboards passing a cigarette around. It doesn’t take long for Harry to figure out that Louis is trying to resist the urge to light one up himself; he can feel it in the way Louis tenses up as he passes through a huge cloud of smoke, in the way his eyes slip shut and he experiences a short moment of bliss as he inhales.

Harry doesn’t make a habit of frequenting convenience stores at night, so walking in with Louis and his friends felt a little surreal; There’s no one in the store but their small group of friends and the cashier which kind of makes Harry feel like he’s stepped into a whole new world he wouldn’t get to experience under different circumstances. Louis drops his arm from Harry’s shoulder as he heads down one of the aisles. For a few moments Harry stays put, watching as Niall, Liam and Zayn wander the store laughing at a few of the magazine covers and surveying the choices in candy. Harry is about to do some exploring of his own when Louis returns with a large bag of Doritos, a bottle of Jack Daniels and a small pack hiding away under his arm that Harry can’t quite figure out.

What Harry does know is that, while Louis is older than him, he still isn’t old enough to buy alcohol. He’s close, but he’s not quite there; not yet.

“Let’s pay,” he says, nodding toward the register.

Harry thinks to say something about the drink but decides against it, instead choosing to nod his head and following Louis to the counter.

“ID?” The woman at the register looks bored as Louis pulls out his wallet and slips out his ID before sliding it across the counter. The woman glances down at the photo, making sure to make note of the age on the card, before looking back up at Louis. She hands back the card and rings up the items without so much as another word aside from her mentioning the total.

Harry must look more than a little surprised because when Louis grabs his bag he laughs before placing his hand at the small of Harry’s back. “Let’s get going, shall we?” He says in a somewhat amused tone. “We can go hang out back at the park or something.” His fingers trail down and brush past Harry’s hipbone causing the younger boy to shiver before Louis takes hold of his hand.

“Hey, Lou!” Niall calls out. “Where are you off to?” Liam and Zayn look up and offer Louis a questioning gaze.

Louis rolls his eyes. “We’re just heading out. I’ll catch up with you guys later.”

Zayn offers Louis a knowing smile as his eyes dart over toward Harry. “I see…” he says.

Harry can feel his cheeks growing hard as he realizes what Zayn is insinuating. He isn’t used to this sort of attention at all. He looks up to Louis’ who is rolling his eyes, but he can feel the way Louis’ grip on his hands tightens a bit. And then Harry feels even more nervous than he had before because what if Louis does want something from Harry. What if they aren’t just going to “hang out” at the park? What then?

“I’ll see you guys later, okay?” Louis says lifting the hand that’s holding his bag to wave goodbye.

Zayn says something along the lines of “I’m sure you will” while Niall whistles and Liam stays silent. Harry follows Louis out of the store, but chances a glance back at the Louis’ friends, his eyes catching the back of Liam’s head. He’s sure he would like Liam if he got to know him and he kind of wonders if he’ll ever get the chance.

They walk back to the park in relative silence Harry’s mind trained on the thought of what Louis’ friends had suggested and whether or not Louis would follow through on that suggestion. Harry also wonders if he would be okay with that; if he would mind Louis kissing him and touching him in places he hadn’t really explored himself. Harry wasn’t a complete stranger to sexual exploration, but he hadn’t done much past basic masturbation and he didn’t even know what a sexual experience with another person would really even entail.

But somehow Louis’ lips and hands roaming the plains of Harry’s body thrilled him and sent shivers up his spine. It made a heat Harry had never really known pool in the pit of his stomach and all of the sudden it was the only thing he wanted.

“Hey, Louis?” Harry asks his voice small as they turned a corner. The park comes into view and Harry’s heart begins to race.

“Hm?” Louis responds. He leads Harry across the street, not bothering to look both ways for cars, until they reach one of the wooden picnic tables. He places his bag on the top before taking a seat on the table top, motioning for Harry to join him.

Harry hops up on the table as well, keeping a safe, reasonable distance between himself and Louis. He’s too nervous to sit any closer. “Uh…” Harry starts, his cheeks burning red. “What were you friends talking about at the store? You know, when we were leaving?”

Louis chuckles as he reaches into the bag, pulling out the bottle of Jack Daniels. “Don’t worry about them, Harry. They were just being idiots,” he says as he opens the bottle. He takes a swig and winces a little as he swallows before looking back to Harry. “They just thought we were going to come back here and fool around a little. That’s all.”

“Fool around?” Harry asks, swallowing a lump that had formed in his throat.

“Yeah,” Louis replied, furrowing his brow. “You know… blow jobs and stuff.” When Harry doesn’t say anything Louis’ lips twitch up into a smile. “C’mon, Harry… you’ve gotta tell me you’ve fooled around with kids before. Doesn’t have to be a guy either, I mean… guys, girls it’s all the same right?”

Harry looks down at his shoes, running a hand through his curls. “I’m only fourteen, Louis…”

“So?” Louis replied, with a shrug of his shoulders. “Jack was thirteen when he started. He’s probably fooling around with that River kid right now, the little asshole.” He takes another swig from the bottle. “Lemma tell you, Harry. River is a little slut; he’ll fuck anything with a dick and two legs. I swear, Jack could do so much better…”

Harry isn’t sure what to say so he only hums in acknowledgement. He’s never felt so young and insignificant in his life. He still has the urge to know what it would feel like to have Louis’ lips pressed against his own, the weight the other boy pushing his body into the picnic table, but he doubts Louis would even consider the idea now; not with Harry being the blushing, completely inexperienced virgin that he is.

“So you’ve never fooled around with anyone, Harry? Ever?” Louis asks in disbelief.

Harry sighs and shakes his head. “No. Should I have?”

Louis shrugs his shoulders as he places the bottle on the table and leans back on his palms and tilts his head back to look at the stars. Harry can’t help but to admire the smooth column of his neck, to want to reach out and run his fingers along the skin.

“No,” Louis says. “It’s completely up to the person, Harry. I’m just surprised because I haven’t met many guys who haven’t fooled around at least once. You’re kind of a rarity, kid.”

Harry feels his cheeks flush. He’d never really had a reason to feel ashamed for being so virginal. “How… How far have you gone, then?” He asks as his face heats up further.

“I’ve had sex, but I don’t get what all the hype is about,” Louis answers, turning his head to look at Harry. He’s wearing a small smile that makes Harry feel a little better, but no less embarrassed. “Don’t get me wrong; sex is fun. I just… I think everyone makes it seem better than it really is.”

Louis sits up and takes another swig of the Jack Daniels. He doesn’t wince as much as he did the first time. He offers the bottle to Harry who shakes his head.

“So sex isn’t that great?”

Louis shakes his head. “No, No, No, Harry. Sex is great. People just do a good job of hyping it up, you know? And then there are all those girls who go on and on about candles and rose petals… I don’t get what the big deal is. It’s all going to be the same either way.”

Harry nods before looking toward the bottle. “Do you think…” He looks at Louis. “Can I try some of that, actually?”

Louis smirks and nods. “Go ahead. Knock yourself out.” He pauses as he’s handing the bottle over to Harry. “Well, actually don’t because if you did we’d both be in the shit.”

Harry laughs nervously as he takes the bottle from Louis and tentatively presses the rim to his lips. When the small amount he’d taken in slips down his throat it burns causing Harry to scrunch up his nose in distaste. He almost gags when he swallows, coughing while he places the bottle back on the table.

“That’s horrible,” he chokes out.

Louis rolls his eyes, but his smile is still fond. “It always is the first go.”

“When did you first start?” Harry asks wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand. He’s looking up at Louis wish saucer wide eyes and the older boy can’t help but to find the expression anything less than endearing.

“I think I was around your age,” Louis answers. “I didn’t like it much either; my aunt had a bit too much to drink one night and offered me a glass. It was the worst because my cousins were there and I didn’t want to look like a baby so I drank until I couldn’t see straight and threw up on m y great-grandmother’s rug.” Louis shakes his head at the memory as he leans back on his palms and looks back to Harry. “I didn’t start properly drinking anything until the end of last year, I think. Before that it was just me being a jackass and trying to look cool.”

Harry eyes the bottle curiously before grabbing it and taking another drink. He still winces when he swallows, but he doesn’t cough and sputter like the last time. “It’s not so bad the second time around,” Harry observes, eyeing the bottle at arm’s length.

Louis nods, but takes the bottle from Harry’s grasp. “It gets better with time, but I think you’re good for tonight. I don’t want you stumbling back into my house drunk when we go home.”

“Probably not the best idea,” Harry agrees with a small laugh. His eye catches the plastic bag from seven eleven and he remembers the small box he’d seen Louis carrying before he’d tricked the cashier with his fake ID. “What else did you buy?”

Louis grabs the bag and pulls out the Doritos and the same box Harry had noticed. “Just some Doritos and a box of condoms.”

“Condoms?” Harry repeated.

Louis laughed and nodded as he opened the box and pulled one out. “Yeah. Surely you’ve seen one before. You can’t be that out of the loop, Harry.”

Harry blushes a dark red, his eyes finding his shoes. “Only in health,” he mumbled.

“Jesus, Harry!” Louis starts, ripping the condom packet open and handing it over to Harry. “You gotta live a little more.”

Harry takes the condom, scrunching up his nose at how wet and slick it feels between his fingers.

“That’s just the lube,” Louis explains, amused. “Taste it. The box says it should taste like strawberries or something. Personally, I think it tastes like shit but I’m curious to see what you think.”

Harry’s face is filled with curiosity as he slowly brings the condom to his lips. His tongue darts quickly along the latex before he drops his hand into his lap. “It just tastes like rubber…”

“That’s what I said when Liam and Zayn told me to try ‘em out. Apparently Liam loves these things, but I don’t really see the appeal,” Louis says with a roll of his eyes. He tosses the box back into the bag. “I don’t even see what the big deal is anyways. Wants you’ve got your dick in the girl’s pussy – or a guy’s asshole, you know, whatever you’re into – nobody is going to be all that concerned with whether or not you can taste the strawberry.”

Harry is suddenly back to feeling intimidated by Louis’ presence. He’s just so outspoken about everything; like he’s finally slipped into his comfort zone; a place Harry instantly feels lost in because he simply doesn’t know his way around. All Harry wants to do now is go back to the house; return to sitting in a room that doesn’t belong to him while he twiddles his thumbs until his parents are ready to leave.

“Yeah…” Harry says instead, his voice small. “I think I know what you mean…” His eyes are trained on his jeans as he picks at a hole forming in the knee.

“Am I making you uncomfortable?” Louis asks quickly. He seems concerned with the way he’s eyeing Harry.

Harry wants to say “yes.” To tell Louis that he’s been uncomfortable for most of the night because he just doesn’t get everything that’s been happening. He wants to say that he likes Louis – a lot, actually – and he wants nothing more than to get to know him better, maybe even kiss him a little and let his hands wander places Harry hasn’t even explored himself, but that also scares him because he wants to run away and never look back just as badly.

Harry wants to say all of these things, but he can’t bring himself to do it because while Louis makes him feel uneasy in the realest sense of the word Harry also feels excited and free. There’s a first time for everything – sneaking out, drinking – and Harry is experiencing it all in one night. He doesn’t want to ruin that. 

“No, you’re not.”

“Well,” Louis says. “If I am, just tell me. I know you’re younger than me, Harry, but I keep forgetting that for some reason. I think it’s because you don’t really seem like you’re fourteen. You’re more mature than that, I guess.”

Harry looks up at Louis with wide eyes. “Really? I thought you just saw me as a kid—”

“I do,” Louis says, cutting him off causing Harry’s face to fall a little. “Well, I do and I don’t, you know? When I think of a fourteen-year-old, I think of Jack and, God, that kid can be a real asshole sometimes. He’s so immature sometimes and you’re not like that. You’re different.”

Harry shakes his head. “I don’t think I’m all that mature. I mean, I’ve never even fooled around with anyone before.”

“That doesn’t matter, Harry,” Louis says with an encouraging smile. “You will… one day.”

“I don’t think so,” Harry replies, biting at his bottom lip. “It’s not like anyone would even want to anyways.”

“Oh, come on, Harry!” Louis exclaims. “I’m sure there are kids dying to get a piece of that. Guys and girls, probably. And you can’t honestly tell me you’ve never thought about it.”

Harry thinks about Louis and his lips trailing over his neck, his collarbone, of his fingers sneaking up the hem of his t-shirt and his face grows hot. “Well, yeah,” Harry says in a shaky voice. “I’ve thought about it before but—”

“But nothing,” Louis replies. “You’ve just gotta muster up a bit of confidence and you’ll be fine.”

Harry only nods in response because he isn’t sure of what to say. He’s not the most confident person in the least. He has a hard enough time keeping up his end of the conversation when he talks to people.

Harry looks up to find Louis smiling at him causing him to blush as he nervously rubs at the back of his neck. He doesn’t have any idea of what the right thing to say might be. Suddenly, the sound of a car backfiring cuts through the air and Harry turns his head to see if he can find the source of the noise. When he can’t see anything he turns back to Louis and feels something brush against his cheek causing him to jump back in his seat a little.

Louis is still sitting next to him, but instead of the reassuring smile Harry had seen only moments earlier, he’s wearing a smirk that does nothing to ease the butterflies in Harry’s stomach. Harry can feel his heart pounding in his chest, almost as if it’s trying to escape from its cage of bone and muscle and skin.

“You okay?” Louis asks knowingly. “You’re looking a little pale.”

“I… I’m fine,” Harry answers. “Why did you do that?”

Louis arches an eyebrow. “Do what?”

He’s leaning back, resting his weight on his open palms and Harry only wishes he could wipe that smirk off of Louis’ face.

“You kissed my cheek,” Harry says, his face growing warmer.

Louis shrugs his shoulders and sits back up. He’s impossibly closer which makes Harry feel even more uncomfortable than before.

But it’s also exciting and that might scare him even more.

“I missed your lips,” Louis replies.

Harry is kind of shocked at the honesty. His eyes grow wide as Louis leans in a little closer. His mind is telling him to move away, to push Louis off the table and run until his legs are incapable of carrying him any further, but his body is telling him to give in; to meet Louis half way and kiss him like he knows he wants to.

Harry settles for waiting for it to happen, but it never does.

“You wish, don’t you?” Louis mocks as he backs away. His eyes look like they’re laughing just like the rest of him already is.

Harry can feel his bottom lip quivering, but he uses all his willpower to stop himself from crying. He’s never been so humiliated in his life. He could have sworn Louis had been nothing but honest with him the entire night, but now that Harry is looking at him – really looking at him – he knows Louis must have been lying about everything and Harry, for the life of him, doesn’t understand why.

“Why are you such an asshole?” Harry spits at him, his eyes narrowed and angry.

“Because I can be,” Louis replies easily with a shrug of his shoulders.

Harry huffs, folding his arms over his chest as he glares angrily at the ground. He can feel Louis’ eyes on him and it only makes him angrier so he pushes himself off the table and onto the wet grass covering the ground.

“I’m leaving,” he musters as he dusts off his pants.

He’s only taken a few steps with he feels a hand wrapping itself around his forearm. When he turns around he’s met with Louis’ smug, smirking face and it’s all Harry can do not to hit him.

“What? Haven’t you embarrassed me enough for one night?”

Louis doesn’t answer him and, when the silence has stretched out for too long, Harry is about to say something else until Louis is leaning forward and pressing his mouth against his own.

Harry’s first instinct is to push him away, maybe call him a dick before he runs home and locks himself in the bathroom. But he doesn’t. Instead Harry finds himself melting into Louis’ body as his own takes over and kisses Louis back.

Louis’ lips are warm and smooth and so much better than Harry’s fist or his pillow. Louis’ lips respond and guide and show Harry exactly what to do. Louis also has hands that are gripping Harry’s hips like they never want to let go.

When the need for air becomes a bit too much Louis pulls away and looks at Harry with an expression that is equal parts confident, amused, and nervous.

Harry is breathless as he lifts a hand to touch at his lips. He can’t bring himself to look at Louis right away. All he wants to do is run because he doesn’t want to risk any further embarrassment. But then he does look at the boy only inches in front of him and Louis is still smirking and Harry hates him all over again.

“ _God_ ,” Harry says, exasperated. “Why are you such an asshole?”

Louis shrugs and takes a step forward, his hands finding Harry’s hips. Harry flinches, but doesn’t move away.

He leans forward, his lips mere centimeters from Harry’s ear. Louis’ breath makes him shiver. “Because I can be,” he whispers.

And then he’s pulling back and pressing his lips back to Harry’s.

Harry melts.


End file.
